I Tripped and Fell in Love With You

Chapter 12: Epilogue

One week later...

"I guess a million years really flies by, huh?"

"Shut it," Obito grumbled and knocked on the door again, listening for any signs of life on the other side of the white lacy curtains hanging in the windows. Emi inhaled deep and held it for too long, rushing to expel it in a way that was meant to be calming, but came out like the moan of a dying animal. Slowly, Obito regarded her. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She shook the energy out of her hands, not sure what else to do with them. She tried leaving them out, but by the first step up to the porch her fingertip numbed purple due to her fidgeting with a loose string on her sweater. Jean pockets would have to suffice. Though, now her attention was drawn to the clods of lint lining them.

"You don't have to be so nervous, babe," Obito comforted her. He removed a loose strand of her hair interwoven on her sleeve.

Emi channeled all her thoughts into erasing the tension between her brows, and instead of coming off as pleasant, she carved her face into a foreboding smile, showing too much gums and teeth to be natural. The additional panic in her eyes did not help.

"Emi, that's worse."

"Ugh!" She doubled over, limp, brushing her lint-ladden fingernails across her shoes.

A psychic could not have predicted more accuracy, more impeccable timing, than right now for Obito's grandmother to open her door.

Emi yelped, her hair a sea of ink flying in her face as she stood up straight, revealing her reddened face from the blood rush.

His grandmother's cane thumped, startled. "Hello to you, too."

"Ohmygodsosorry," Emi blurted out. Obito's boisterous laugh startled the old woman again.

She brought her hand to her chest, smiling wide. "I will admit I was shocked when you called me the other day." Obito fumbled through a quick apology. "But seeing you smile again is a welcomed surprise."

With a limp and thud of her cane on the welcome mat, free of specks of dust or dirt, she hugged her grandson's middle. Her crepe-paper wrinkles framed her face in mirth. Her cheeks, slackened with age, held the same shade of rosy red as her door. "What a precious sweatshirt," she said while tapping one of the kittens on the nose.

Emi ran her knuckles over her lips to quiet her snickering at Obito's sudden disgust. Her laugh tapered off to a nervous chuckle. His grandmother was looking right at her. Her short stature commanded all of her attention.

Squaring her shoulders and tapping her cane, his grandmother pulled away from Obito and grinned. "So, this is your girlfriend you told me about."

Under her scrutiny, every muscle in Emi's body tensed. A cold sweat beaded on her back. Her lips twitched under the strain of ensuring her smile was polite, not scary. His grandmother took a hobbled step. Another one.

Oh, God she was coming closer.

Polite, polite, polite.

She's reaching out. With her cane in hand. Open your arms, stupid. Whose arms go on top? Bottom? A mix, one up, one down? Don't knock the cane!

His grandmother's perfume enveloped Emi and the distinct smell of powder invaded her nose. Her fragile frame pressed against hers, and they were hugging. Emi applied the same amount of pressure, rubbed a circle on her shoulder blade the same way she patted one on hers.

In the midst of the hug, Emi introduced herself and his grandmother did the same before parting and exchanging more pleasantries.

Obito broke their conversation to give Emi a break and nag his grandmother for not wearing a jacket in this weather. She waved off his question about dinner as well, insisting she was fine, dinner was fine, and she wanted to do one more thing before going back inside.